Was It a Dream?
by Leyergonewild1100
Summary: Ludwig and his brother live a normal life, but then, Ludwig begins having disturbing and gore infested nightmares, seemingly hinting at something. Will their normality be torn apart?
1. Chapter 1

Gilbert sighed in bliss as he watched his younger brother sleep. He couldn't exactly say little brother, since Ludwig was so much larger in height and build than he was. He walked out of the blonde's room, not wanting to be caught in his brother's room. He only went in there to be caught up in deja vu; he wasn't interested in anything romantic. He had a girlfriend, so he had no reason to even think like that at all.

'_It's been forever since he was little. I wonder how much my little bro remembers of our past...' _ he thought, wishing he could read minds. It would have been a useful ability at that moment.

He paced into the living room and then plopped on the couch, flipping on the television as soon as he grabbed the remote in his pale hands. He looked at the flat-screen television with disinterest, and then began to channel surf, and once he didn't find anything as awesome as he was, he laid his head back on the arm of the couch.

He was living with his younger brother, so everything was boring, at least, in his eyes. He would have thought that everything would be vibrant and awesome, but, knowing Ludwig's taste, nothing would be like that. He had a more bland taste in furniture and culture. Well, that was Gilbert's opinion, but most people wouldn't argue against it. Ludwig was a quiet person, so he just chose things that were of that nature. It wasn't a bad thing, but Gilbert didn't like it.

"Kesesesese...everybody on this channel is so stupid." he mumbled to himself, trying to entertain his easily-bored mind. He had no patience.

Meanwhile, while Gilbert was begging to be entertained, Ludwig was trying to escape his mind's means of entertainment. He hated dreaming. Every time he dreamt, something vivid and quite disturbing haunted him. It was a sort of reccuring nightmare that he had been having lately.

Right now, he was dreaming that he was trying to wake up, but he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried to escape the dream, he seemed trapped. Soon, he just gave up, and let himself be taken under by the demented dream.

He opened his eyes, and immediately, he found himself in a padded, pure white room. The walls were stained with a crimson liquid, and he tried to deny that he knew what it was, as he did every time he had this dream, but he knew that blood was what stained everything.

'_No...no...not this part! I can't stand it!' _he thought to himself, feeling terror and adrenaline pump through him.

"Brother..." he heard Gilbert whisper in his ear, sounding desperate.

"Bitte! Just let me find you!" Ludwig screamed, shakily trying to stand up. He was in a straightjacket, so he couldn't move very well, but he tried to, just to find his brother, who seemed desperate for help.

"Brother." it repeated, sounding louder this time. Ludwig knew what came next, but, he still dreaded it like he dreaded his death.

An pale, seemingly distant outline of Gilbert appeared in front of him, its eyes looking bloodshot. His usually-cocky expression was replaced with a terrified one, the horror that showed on his face making Ludwig shiver with apprehension. He wasn't used to seeing such an emotion from his brother. He was used to seeing boredom at the worst. Now, he was seeing pure terror and desperation. It was bloodcurdling.

Ludwig attempted to run towards his brother, but he just went right through him. Ludwig shivered and looked around, wishing that he could understand what was going on. He knew it was a dream, and he knew what happened next, but he couldn't exactly understand what this dream symbolized yet.

"BROTHER! HELP! THEY'RE KILLING ME!" he heard Gilbert cry out from behind him. Ludwig didn't want to turn around, but he knew that, in order to keep the dream moving, that he had to. He tentatively turned around, his stomach churning with discomfort and terror, and immediately screamed.

He saw Gilbert's eyes out of their sockets. They rested on the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind them, and his eyes had trails of blood running for them, puddles of blood pooling in them. Ludwig nearly threw up from the sight, but he tried to stay strong. Soon, he saw his brother stumble back and fall to the floor, something invisible slashing at his abdomen and leaving more blood to fall.

"Nein...nein.." Ludwig mumbled once again, resisting the urge to protest against the dream once more. He wanted to kick it out of his system completely, but he knew that he couldn't. He had to find out a little bit more about this dream.

"You couldn't have done anything, brother. It was totally unawesome of me to beg you to, but I had to. No one else would listen to me." Gilbert choked, blood pouring out of his mouth as he spoke.

The sight was nearly too much for Ludwig, and he could feel a strong wave of nausea beginning to knaw at his insides. He held it back, since he knew that, if he retched, that he would awaken to find himself drenched in his own vomit. He didn't want that to happen again.

"Nein, brother. You did nothing wrong." Ludwig replied monotonusly, the reply sounding rehearsed. He had gotten to this point a few times by now. It didn't make it any less terrifying, but he had now known what to say to progress a little bit further. It was like a sick, sick video game now. He had replayed the dream so many times that some parts of it were easy to overcome.

Gilbert just smiled at him, and then sighed. The dream began to fade into black and white, and Ludwig knew that he was encountering a new part of the dream. He had learned that the dream always let him know when to pay closer attention. It was as if someone, or something was sending him these sickening dreams. Not that he believed that someone actually was, but he felt like that was the case.

"Well, I guess this is the end...watch out for...things...like this in the future.." Gilbert winced, his face contorting in pure agony.

'_Don't cry. You'll wake up. Besides, crying is for pussies.' _Ludwig thought, trying to get to the end of the dream for once. He wanted to understand what it meant.

He wondered what his brother meant by watching out, but he figured that he meant something in the dream. He never even considered that it was an omen in real life. Not that it was even remotely possible, but he should have considered it.

He watched as his brother's eyes dulled, and the dream began to get fuzzy.

"Yo, Lud! Breakfast is ready!" he heard his brother call, making him sit up with a start. He had at first thought it was part of the dream, but, as soon as he opened his eyes and saw his brother waiting in the doorway for him to awaken, he knew that the dream had been seen through until the end.

_'I wonder what it means..' _Ludwig thought to himself, stepping out of bed.


	2. Chapter 2

As Ludwig got out of bed, preparing to eat breakfast, he pondered quite a few things. He mostly was wondering what this all could mean. He didn't really understand the dream. He had heard that the brain took things from the waking world and warped them into dreams to entertain itself, but he wasn't sure of how that was even remotely possible. As hard as he tried, he couldn't figure out what exactly his mind could have used to warp into an idea like it did. There was just no sensible answer available to him.

As he sat at the dining table with his brother, he stared at his waffle in disdain. He decided to avert his attention to his food, but he soon realized that it was a very bad idea. His eye twitched in distaste. He wished that he would have cooked instead of his brother, whom always chose junk food.

_'Verdammt. This is disgusting.' _Ludwig thought to himself, looking up at his brother, who was already scarfing down his waffle.

The waffles that Gilbert had made weren't exactly the best either. He had bought frozen waffles, put them in the freezer, and then put them in the toaster to cook them. Besides, Ludwig was still quite squeamish from the gore in his dream. Seeing your brother's eyeballs on the floor wasn't exactly appetizing by any means.

"Kesesesesese! Too busy thinking about your wet dream to eat, Lud?" Gilbert teased, knowing that his brother would be provoked by this type of humor.

Ludwig shot his immature brother an evil glare, and then growled. He wasn't sure if he was going to bless Gilbert with another reply. He was already quite sure that his brother was just trying to tease him to see his anger. While Ludwig had a short temper, he was still going to think a little bit before spitting obscene things at his brother during breakfast. It not only was immature, but he knew that it wouldn't get anywhere with it.

So, he simply stayed silent and began cutting up the vile thing on his plate. He wanted to puke, but he had to eat. He knew that his brother would just tease him more if he didn't. The smell of the bottled syrup was beginning to make him gag, but he was determined to cover up his discomfort for a while.

"Oh, that's right. You don't have wet dreams, since you always act like you have a stick up your ass! Kesesesesese!" Gilbert snickered, making Ludwig even madder.

Ludwig bit back the urge to break Gilbert's nose, but only because he had just had a dream about Gilbert dying. It made him appreciate his brother more, even if he was immature and stupid sometimes. His hands were shaking with anger, but he held back. He couldn't keep too much anger pent up inside of him, but this wouldn't be too much. He could get it out in training later.

He ate a small piece of waffle, grimacing at the churning in his stomach. He wanted to throw up, and he was sure that he was going to. He gagged as he swallowed it, his face going ghost-pale and his entire body beginning to sweat. He felt like he had the flu, but he was just too disturbed at the moment.

"H-hey...Lud...you don't look very good..." Gilbert commented, sounding genuinely concerned at the moment. It was a rare thing for him to be concerned, so it was obvious that he was quite worried about his younger sibling.

Ludwig gagged again and then darted to the bathroom, going into a gagging fit as he did so. He barely made it into the bathroom, and as soon as he did, he clenced the toilet and retched into it, his body shaking as he emptied out the contents of his stomach. He shivered, the stomach acid burning his throat as he continued to vomit. He must have thrown up seven times before he was finally finished. He collapsed, falling back onto the floor, breathing heavily as the memories of the dream flooded through his mind.

_'Blood...everywhere...'_ he thought, the image of the bloody eyes on the ground coming to his mind once again. He groaned, sounding like a dying whale, and squirmed a little on the floor.

He remembered seeing his brother's bloody eye sockets, and he nearly threw up again. Every image that flashed into his mind sent his stomach churning. He stood up weakly, trying to focus on other things besides the disturbing images that were flooding through his mind.

_'Stop. It's not going to do anything but make me sick.' _he thought as he leaned onto the wall, his body still quivering. He flushed the toilet, nearly vomiting at the smell, and then began to clean himself off. He grabbed a white washcloth, wet it, and then began dabbing at his face with it. He looked in the mirror, seeing his bloodshot eyes and white-as-paper face. He shivered and walked to his room to get some new clothes to change into.

Gilbert was worried for his brother, but he didn't bother him. He wanted to be sure that he was ready to speak to him before he barged into the bathroom, or, more like, his room at this time. He was genuinely concerned, but he was so shocked by the fact that Ludwig had been sick. Ludwig never complained about the waffles, so Gilbert ruled that out as a cause, but he couldn't see why his brother would throw up everywhere.

Gilbert finished his waffle and walked over to the sink, rinsing the syrup off of the plate. He emptied off Ludwig's plate into the trash and did the same with it. He knew that his brother wanted everything clean, so he cleaned off the table, Ludwig not leaving his thoughts once. He was wondering what exactly could destroy his brother like that. He had never seen his brother sick, not even when he was a little boy.

When everything was clean, Gilbert walked into the living room and laid on the couch, listening for any sounds from his little brother's room. He knew that he would be able to hear something from there, especially since Ludwig had just thrown up, but he only heard scuffling and the discarding of fabric.

_'It must have been bad if he is throwing clothes in the trash. He usually only throws them away if they are falling apart or completely ruined.' _Gilbert thought to himself.

A few minutes later, Ludwig stumbled out of his room in a black wifebeater and grey sweatpants, still as pale and ghostly as before. Ludwig sat in a chair in the corner, panting. He looked sweaty, and his hair was messy. It was a normal thing for him in the morning, but usually if he changed his clothes, he would fix his hair as well.

"Damn bro. What happened? Did you drink last night?" Gilbert asked, wincing.

Ludwig groaned in response, resting his head back in the chair, panting. He was still recovering from the nightmare, and from throwing up. He couldn't help but be exhausted. He had had a lucid dream, which wasn't even in REM state of sleep, where the actual resting part of sleep was done, and then he had thrown up. It was not a good morning for him.

He couldn't help but continue to think about the dream. He was so obsessed with it at that moment. He had to know why it was happening. He didn't understand anything about it, but he knew that it had to have a meaning. He was going to investigate it sooner or later.

"Hey, is that a yes or a no, brother?" Gilbert enquired again, snapping Ludwig out of his thoughts.

"I didn't drink." he responded, sitting up with better posture. He wanted to show his brother that he was alright, even if he wasn't.

"What is it then?" Gilbert asked, improving his posture so that he could see his brother a little bit better.

"Nothing.." Ludwig replied, averting his brother's gaze.

He should have told him. That was his first mistake, and it was going to be his most fatal one.


	3. Chapter 3

After the chaos of the morning, most of the day was normal at the Beilschmidt household. Usually, Gilbert would do something stupid, but they were both on edge after Ludwig's sickness. It came and went without a reason, and that scared his older brother. Even though Gilbert seemed like someone who didn't care about anything, he did care for his brother. It was just...somewhere deep down. Very, very deep.

Ludwig had recovered quite a bit physically, but, he was still mentally scarred. He felt as if his mind was trapped in an eternal dream. He felt as if he didn't control his own body, but the dream did. It was quite the experience for him, since he was used to having control over every single little object in his life. He wanted to just give up and tell Gilbert about all of it, but, he knew that it was completely impossible. He didn't want to be ridiculed. He was also a little nervous about trying to talk about it for other reasons. He wasn't sure if the dream was an omen, or if it was just a sign that something was psychologically wrong with him.

There was an uneasy silence for a few hours that blanketed the house, nearly suffocating both of them. Once in a while, they'd steal nervous glances at each other, but they both knew that speaking would bring up the topic that neither of them wished to discuss. Gilbert was curious and fretting over his younger sibling, albeit, but he half-afraid of what had brought all of this on. It had to have been pretty grim to make Ludwig throw up.

_'I wish that I could just say something. This silence is becoming tedious to maintain. I can tell that we're both under too much pressure. Gott verdammt.' _Ludwig thought to himself, pondering what he could bring up.

He glanced over at his brother, whom was gazing emptily at the wall off to his right, and sighed, trying to muster up the courage to begin conversation. He sighed quietly, hoping that he could avoid the topic on both of their minds, and just get something even lighthearted going through their consciences.

"Gilbert, erhm...is there anything that you need to get done today?" Ludwig asked, trying to hide his nervousness. Although, this was to no avail. Ludwig was absolutely terrible at hiding uneasiness.

Gilbert redirected his gaze towards his brother, and then sighed in relief. He was glad that his brother was handling the conversation in a time like this, when they were both trying to dodge the questions. Gilbert was afraid for his brother, and Ludwig was terrified of telling Gilbert about the dream, so they had to dance around the topic.

"Well, I was going to bother Roderich, but, I don't want to walk in on him and Elizaveta or something. Not that stick-up-the-ass Roddy would even think of doing the nasty with her, but, you never know what you could see." Gilbert replied, trying to make it seem as if he wasn't thinking of other things. Unlike Ludwig's attempt, Gilbert's was quite believable. It was as if they were playing a game now; seeing which one would break under the pressure and bring up Ludwig's sickness first. They both seemed determined to avoid the said conversation, but lies and pressure get to every mind after a while.

Ludwig was glad for the short reprieve from the pressure. He nearly cracked a smirk at Gilbert's reply, but he knew that it would be very immature, so he kept his enjoyment of the statement to himself.

"Ah, I see. That's probably the better thing to do." Ludwig replied, sounding pretty boring. To the average person, that was how he appeared. He simply looked like a buff guy with a boring mind. They weren't that uncommon. Strangely enough, though, if Ludwig wanted to entertain people, he could. He had a decent sense of humor, but he just wanted to be mature.

Gilbert relaxed his sitting position in his chair, not wanting to have decent posture anymore.

"What's on your mind? You seem tenser than usual. Have you been thinking about a girl, or something?" Gilbert asked, starting to get closer to that topic. Alarm bells went off in Ludwig's mind, triggering the dreaded fight-or-flight response.

_'Stupid amygdala! If it wasn't so overaactive, I could possibly hide my discomfort! I'm about ten seconds from going into a near-panic attack!'_ Ludwig thought as he tried to come up with an answer. Gilbert was still playing the game, but if they took in one step closer to the topic at hand, someone would lose, and Ludwig would have to figure out what to do.

"Nein. You know that I don't really like people, Gilbert. I never have." Ludwig assured Gilbert, glad he figured out a way to dodge the question. He didn't feel complete relief, though. He knew that Gilbert could ask another question that brought them straight to what they were both avoiding.

Gilbert had expected such a response, though. He had been testing his little brother, seeing if he still wanted to play the game too. He restrained a sigh of relief and then decided to continue the conversation.

"Ja, I know. You haven't even ever gotten laid before, and you're the biggest pervert in the world! That just shows your hatred for the entire human race! Kesesesese!" Gilbert replied, still sounding more believable than Ludwig. This made it obvious that they were both going to have to step up their game.

Ludwig blushed a little at the mention of his own perversion, and looked at the floor. He was trying so hard not to kick his brother's ass at the moment. It was difficult, but, at least it gave him something else to focus on. He was quite glad to have something to take his mind off of the one thing that him and his brother were avoiding so desperately.

"...It's not my fault that you got me into hardcore porn when I was only twelve." he grumbled, blushing. He desperately wanted to keep the conversation afloat, but he wasn't particularly fond of the topic. Of course, who would be? Talking about your personal sex life is kind of awkward for anyone.

_'I'd change the subject, but I'm afraid that it'll lead to something else. Gilbert loves to make fun of me, so this conversation will go on for quite a while.' _Ludwig thought, wishing that he had more control.

"That's true, Ludwig." he snickered, laughing his own disgusting laugh. They were both settling down a little, and the tension was less noticable. There were a few minutes of silence, which Ludwig used to check what time it was, and then Ludwig spoke up again.

"It's almost two o' clock, Gilbert. We should be thinking of lunch." Ludwig stated, not really sounding interested in the thought of food, but knowing that eating at two was pretty uncommon.

Gilbert got out of his chair, looked at the clock, and practically dove for their pantry. He grabbed some instant foods from there, and then began to dig in the fridge for food.

_'Well, this is going to be a fun night, isn't it?' _Ludwig thought to himself, sighing.


	4. Chapter 4

_Ludwig..._

_Ludwig..._

_Ludwig..._

_LUDWIG!_

He heard a voice calling to him as he got closer to his bed. He was shaking as he stared at the bed, wondering if he had finally lost his mind. The voice seemed feminine, or, at least, it was of a higher pitch. It had some sort of accent, but he couldn't focus on it at that moment. He tried to think straight, attempting to defeat the panic that was gnawing at the back of his mind with logic. Alas, he felt his palms becoming coated with sweat.

_'Gott verdammt! Think straight! You have to think! It can't be real! It just can't be! Calm down!' _he thought to himself, staring at his simply-decorated bed, his eyes glazed over with terror. The blue and white striped bedsheets didn't seem like his own at the moment, and the wooden floor beneath him seemed sickeningly cold.

_Ludwig..._

_Ludwig..._

_Don't you remember me? How could you not remember me?_

Ludwig stiffened, his eyes widening, and he stumbled backward, his mouth opened in a silent scream. He told himself that he was just imagining things, but it all seemed to real. Everything seemed out of place.

He knew that he couldn't speak, couldn't protest, couldn't shout for help, even if he wanted to. He was terrified. He backed up until his back was against the wall, and he pushed himself against it, wishing it would break. He was sure this was real. He knew it had to be. He hadn't even laid down to sleep yet.

_'Remember who? Who are they talking about? What do they want?! I'm not understanding a word they say!'_ Ludwig thought, alarm bells ringing in his head. He felt sweat slowly drip down his forehead and slither its way down the right side of his ghostly-pale cheek.

His heart was beating in his ears as he tried to decode what was happening. Not only did he not understand, but he wasn't sure if it was what he desired. Understanding would probably make the situation even more daunting. As apprehension closed its sharp, harsh claws on his heart, he tried to mentally distance himself from the voice.

_Don't try to escape, Ludwig. I'm in your mind, now. I'm just trying to warn you about what is about to happen. I can hear your thoughts, so don't even try tp decode me. I am now part of your conscience. _

Ludwig tried to reach for the cold, metal handle of the door, but he as out of reach of the door. He wanted to scream, but his breath was still hitched in his throat, and he couldn't even scream if he could breathe properly. He couldn't give his brother any more hints about his mental health, which, he was sure was slipping.

_'It was just bad food that I ate. I'm sure that this is fake. I'll go to sleep, and I'll wake up without a problem. It will all be just fine. This is fake.' _he tried to convince himself, practically relying on this very thought.

He had just returned from the dinner table and gone to retire in his room, when he had begun to hear this voice. He was terrified. He hadn't had any warning of any schizophrenic instances. In fact, he had never had any sort of problem like this. He had always been completely healthy.

_You're lying to yourself, Ludwig. Just accept me. How could you not recognize my voice? I'm your best friend._

_'Verdammt! You CAN read my thoughts...okay, well then...who exactly are you, and what are you doing in my mind? Are you the reason for my nightmares? Can anyone else hear you? Am I insane?' _ Ludwig thought, feeling his body slightly tremble. He tried to calm down and make out the accent, and try to place the voice with a face, but it was to no avail.

There was a moment of silence. It was eerie, but it also gave Ludwig time to think. He couldn't quite remember the personality, but, as he thought about it, he did vaguely remember the voice; he just had trouble placing it with a face.

_Ludwig, I'm your old best friend. Does the name Feliciano ring a bell? I'm in your mind because you and Gilbert are in danger. It is something that is out of the hands of the dead. I can make myself heard to anyone I feel like, and you aren't insane. I am not a figment of your imagination. _

After Feliciano explained himself, the memories hit Ludwig as if they were a train. He remembered the day that changed him forever; the day when he saw his best friend get shot. He remembered every single part about that day, for it was horrible. He remembered the sketchy murderer walking up to Feliciano, his violet eyes glinting with mania. He had heard later that the murderer's name was Ivan Braginski, and that he was mentally unstable. They had Ivan in a mental institute, since he had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder as a child, and the doctors discovered that he also had been dilusional, and arguablely schizophrenic. He was the violent sort of crazy, and as he put a bullet through the bubbly Italian's head, it was easy to see. It was terrifying. In fact, Ludwig had been changed by it. He was much more cautious than he had usually been. Although he had suppressed those memories, he felt them flooding back now as he listened to his friend speak.

_'You certainly have changed, Feli. You used to not have a serious bone in your body. What happened?' _Ludwig thought, genuinely wondering what had happened. He was calming down a little bit, even if he was still freaking out. He had learned that nothing was impossible; especially with him.

_I see that you have remembered me. Bueno. Now we can get down to business. Well, basically, Heaven happened. It's not exactly what people would think it is up here. Actually, we work more than people down there. We fight off certain things if they try to invade your world. Anyway, I am trying to tell you about what's happening with you. You know those dreams that you have been having?_

Ludwig's breath hitched in his throat at the mention of his nightmares. He composed himself, and then he decided to answer his dead best friend.

_'Of course. What about them?' _Ludwig thought, hoping that Feliciano had all of the answers to the questions that he had. He was tired of being kept in the dark about his own future. He wanted to know what was going to happen, and what the dreams symbolized.

_It's a signal that something terrible is about to happen. You have to tell Gilbert, or he will die. You will die too, if you aren't careful. Just try to be aware of it. None of us in Heaven actually know what it is, but as I was snooping around down there, I sensed a presence in your house that seemed terrifyingly powerful. You should be very wary of anything peculiar, okay? Not even angels, who have superhuman powers, can see exactly everything that is going on._

Ludwig shivered, knowing that something terrible was about to happen, and he tried to mentally prepare himself for everything to come. He was now fully aware that danger was looming over their heads. He knew that there was some sort of creature that was preparing to drain the life out of him, and his brother.

_'Ja, I will tell Gilbert. I'll make sure that we are both careful.'_


	5. Chapter 5

For a while, Ludwig chatted with Feliciano(mentally, of course, but, he needed to rest, so he finally let Feli know that he was going to bed. He initially felt his usual anxiety before going to sleep, but, he was too tired to pay much attention this time. He knew that he would have to sleep eventually, anyway.

As he slept, he found himself in a different dream. He was still in his pajamas, barefoot, and somewhat nervous; just how he had fallen asleep, but his surroundings were quite different. He was standing on a yellowish soil path in the middle of a seemingly endless field. The air reeked of sweat, and it only unnerved him more. He up at the sky, finding it to be perfectly clear of anything. There weren't birds, airplanes, clouds, or anything of the sort. It just made it all the more eerie.

_'Where the Hell am I?!' _he thought to himself, his eyes widening as he glanced around desperately for some sort sign of intelligent life. He crunched the soil beneath his feet, small bits of the grainy substance sticking to his feet, and others just shifting around.

There was no sound, and it was unnerving. Even the sound of his breath was absent. Everything was so quiet and eerie that he couldn't take it anymore. He tried to breathe louder, but it semed that he could only breathe lightly, as if there was some sort of restraint on his muscles. This was terrifying enough for him, but when he tried to take a step, he couldn't. He could only move his face, fingers, and toes. He didn't breathe, nor did he feel his heart beating in his chest. The only things that he knew in that moment were the feelings of anxiety, the lukewarm, stagnant air in his nose, the grainy sand against his feet, and the scene in front of him.

He wanted to scream, but he had no breath to do so. He wasn't even shaking. It seems that naught could tame his anxiety. He couldn't do anything.

"You just figured it out. I can see it in your eyes." an unamused sounding voice stated, obviously male in gender. He saw a figure appear in front of him. He couldn't quite make it out. All he saw was a black cloak, and the shadow of the figure's cloak obscured most of its nose.

Ludwig would have screamed or spoke, but he couldn't. He was terrified of this mystery person. The fact that he didn't recognize a voice, or a face made it absolutely shell-shocking.

The figure chuckled darkly and then approached Ludwig, making sure that he was close enough so that Ludwig would be intimidated. He was almost close enough that his nose touched Ludwig's. Ludwig felt the panic in his chest rise, but he couldn't react. He would have gone insane, but something kept him hanging on the brink instead of falling into it.

_'Who is this person?! What do they want from me?' _Ludwig thought to himself, trying to use his thoughts to calm himself down.

"You know that you can't move very much. You also know that you can't speak. Don't worry, I'm just a figment of your imagination, you crazy bastard. You're definitely schizophrenic! You talked to your dead best friend! What does that tell you? You're a freak! You can't tell your brother!" the figure shouted at him, countering what Feliciano had told Ludwig.

Ludwig was internally conflicted. Part of him wanted to believe Feliciano, and part of him wanted to believe this mysterious figure that had appeared. He had already been doubting his sanity, but he was also pretty sure that his encounter with Feli was, in fact, completely real. He wasn't sure that this figure was telling the truth. Maybe it was part of the dangers Feliciano and him had discussed.

"You're already doubting me. You shouldn't doubt the sane part of your mind..." the figure lectured, the voice sounding somewhat familiar.

_'Wait a minute...is that...' _Ludwig thought, another wave of panic washing over him. He wanted to flee. He didn't want to believe what the voice sounded like.

"That's right..." the figure said, confirming his fears.

_'It can't be! Was? This isn't possible! Nein!' _Ludwig panicked, his eyes dilating wider than they ever had. He needed to scream. He needed to be granted the ability to react. This would make him even crazier.

"I know you...because...I am you..." the figure snickered.

Ludwig was on the brink of panic, but then, he tried to think logically.

_'Wait a second. This thing doesn't act like me at all!' _he thought, squinting at the figure that sounded like him, but couldn't REALLY be him.

"Do you need proof? I would be glad to show you..." the figure offered, stepping a few steps backward. He pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing himself to look exactly like Ludwig. This made Ludwig panic.

He felt his palms become coated with sweat and the panic inside of his chest rise considerably. He felt like he was going to be murdered.

_This isn't real, Ludwig! You can't listen to him! This is one of the dreams! Just because he looks and sounds like you, doesn't mean he is you! You and I both know that you aren't like this! They're just messing with you! _

_'Feliciano?'_

_Yes! Just listen to me! I wouldn't lie! They just don't want you to tell your brother, and to prove me wrong when you wake up!_

"God dammit! Stupid angels!" the Ludwig look-alike shouted, before turning around and running off, short, black hair replacing the blonde hair on his head as he ran off.

Ludwig would have ran after the man so that he could identify him, but he couldn't. A little bit of the weight was lifted off of his chest, and finally, he found the breath to scream.

"What the Hell is going on?" he screamed, distress apparent in his voice.

Suddenly, he was forced back into the waking world, as he had woke himself up screaming. He sat up with a start, his breath coming in short, rapid gasps.

He heard hurried footsteps leading to his room, and after a few seconds, he saw his brother standing at his door, looking startled and concerned.

"Lud, what happened? You've been acting so strange, lately..." Gilbert asked, finally voicing the question that they had both been avoiding so desperately.

_'Well, I guess that it was coming sooner or later. I was just hoping that I could recover, first...' _Ludwig thought to himself, trying to calm his breathing as he stepped out of bed towards his brother.

"Either I'm insane, or something is seriously wrong. We need to talk..." Ludwig sighed as he made it over to his brother. He placed one shaky hand on his brother's shoulder, trying to figure out how he could possibly explain this dilemma in its entirety without sounding like a madman.

_'Feli, I'm going to need your help. You will have to make yourself heard to him, or there is no way that he will believe me. Also, I want to be able to fully believe you, as well. I am having doubts about all of this..' _Ludwig thought, hoping that his dead friend would hear his silent plea for help.

"Yes, Ludwig?" Gilbert asked, the concern not leaving his face.

Ludwig gulped, trying to suppress the trembling in his voice. He wanted to seem sane, calm, and collected, even if he had just been screaming a few seconds ago.

"Gilbert, I will need your full cooperation. I won't be able to explain this, if you won't believe me, so listen closely, and don't doubt a single thing I am saying. I know how you are, and I know that you won't believe what I am saying at first, but you have to try, or, at least, think it over." Ludwig started, his voice trembling only at the beginning. He had found a sort of inner strength, even if it wouldn't last him long.

Gilbert looked bewildered, but, either way, he nodded. Ludwig led Gilbert towards the living room and sat on the couch, gesturing for Gilbert to sit next to him. Even if it was still a little dark outside, and Gilbert didn't turn on any lights, his gestures were still readable, so Gilbert followed Ludwig's silent directions.

_'Feli, bitte, help me out on this. Make yourself heard at the right time..' _Ludwig silently hoped, half-trying to convince his friend to reveal himself to Gilbert.

"Alright, well, I've been having nightmares. Yesterday, I threw up because I had just came out of a particularly gore-infested one about your death, I guess." Ludwig started, looking up at his brother, seemingly searching for a reaction. This was the easiest part about what he was going to say, so he was hoping that he hadn't already slipped up in his explanation.

"R-really? You weren't killling me, were you?" Gilbert asked, his voice holding a small amount of surprise.

"Nein, I wasn't. That's why it scared me. I watched you die. Anyway, before I went to bed yesterday, something happened. I...well, you remember my friend Feliciano?" Ludwig gulped nervously. This was the difficult part.

Gilbert glanced up at the ceiling for a second, as if he was trying to remember, and then snapped his fingers.

"Ja, I remember. The one who..." Gilbert started to reply, but then stopped speaking, not wanting to say what had become of Ludwig's friend.

"Was murdered? Ja. Well, I...I...I heard his voice before I went to bed last night.." Ludwig managed to choke out, backign away from his brother. He expected a bad response, after all.

"F-feli...b-bitte...say something so that both of us can hear.." Ludwig stuttered, his body shaking. He was terrified of how his brother would react.

_Ciao. Gilbert, if you don't hear me, or if you pretend that you don't, you're being stupid._

_'Bitte, Gilbert! Hear him!' _Ludwig silently pleaded, feeling his heart pound.

A look of shock crossed Gilbert's face, and his breath hitched in his throat as he began to shake. Ludwig felt anxiety press at the back of his mind once again. He couldn't help but think that his brother hadn't heard Feli, and that he thought Ludwig was insane. He couldn't help but think that way; he wasn't the most positive thinker.

For what seemed like hours, Gilbert sat there, shaking with shock, before he screamed.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, LUD! I HEARD HIM! OH MEIN GOTT!" Gilbert shouted, looking pretty much terrified.

Relief flooded through Ludwig as soon as he heard the words come out of his brother's mouth.

_'I'm not crazy...' _Ludwig thought, glad to have his bad thoughts crushed.

_Good. Now we can discuss this. You're both in danger. I already told Ludwig this, Gilbert, but the dreams that Ludwig are having signify something. No, I am not like my old self. Don't question that; I assure that I am the real Feliciano. Just calm down. Anyway, now that you both believe this, be on guard. Something terrible is about to happen._

And with that, the small amount of relief that Ludwig once felt was quickly snatched away from him.


End file.
